


Hopelessly, Ridiculously, Stupidly

by Katalina_Riddle



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Honestly a lot of fluff, Honestly the Black family parents are terrible, Letters, Romantic Fluff, SO MUCH FLUFF, Shonky parenting, Sweet, Young Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-06-24 16:20:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19727284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katalina_Riddle/pseuds/Katalina_Riddle
Summary: Andromeda is engaged to be married to a man she barely knows. But in a friendship with a sweet Muggle born boy, she finds something worth far more to her than a pure bloodline and all the riches in the world.





	Hopelessly, Ridiculously, Stupidly

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [Restricted_Section_2019](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Restricted_Section_2019) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
> She was engaged to be married to some Pureblood prince but something about the muggle born caught her and had her enraptured from the moment she saw him. She knew it was forbidden in every sense of the word but that just made it all the more exciting. Would Andromeda risk disownment for this enticing man?
> 
> Big love to my amazing Alpha/Beta! You're amazing and you know who you are!

_ My Dear Andromeda, _

_ It gives me great pleasure to tell you that your esteemed parents have granted me permission to take your hand in marriage. I look forward to spending more time with you in the coming weeks. _

_ I assume, of course, that you will want to finish your schooling. I am aware that you have one year left, and I am willing to wait that long before I wed you.  _

_ Remember. This match is in the best interests of everyone, and the Dark Lord approves. We must keep our blood untainted by the monstrosity and failure of humanity. They are not worthy of us. _

_ Your betrothed, _

_ Prince Karl Ludwig Francis Bruckheim III, Duke of Albania _

Andromeda Black had read that letter so many times, hoping that one day she would look at the scented paper and it would be blank. The words written there gave her too much pain. 

“You  _ will  _ marry him, Andromeda, for our family, for our bloodline and for our finances.” Her father’s words still echoed in her ears. That is all daughters were useful for according to Cygnus Black. They were pawns in a game of power, a game dominated by evil and cruel men. 

“After all, Dromeda, he  _ is  _ a prince,” reminded her mother. “And Albania is lovely in the winter. You will like it there my pretty one.” Druella Black was more understanding than Cygnus...but only just. Andromeda was closest to her mother, but that wasn’t really saying much. Druella was aristocratic, cold, and disconnected from any emotion whatsoever. There was one thing she and Cygnus shared, however. A deeply held belief that pure bloodlines were both important and superior. Their blood must stay pure and clean.

_ At all costs. _

Andromeda stared at the words again. Tears fell from her cheeks to the paper creating ink stains and blots where the elegant, formal handwriting told of her sealed fate. 

She turned her gaze to the scenery flying past the window of the Hogwarts Express. She sat in a carriage on her own, a lone Slytherin looking very small and forlorn with a far off expression on her face.  _ I wish I were somewhere else. Anywhere but here. _

“Ahem.”

The sound of a clearing throat brought her back to the present with a jolt, and she quickly folded the letter and slid it back inside her robes.

“I’m sorry, but...do you mind if I sit in here with you? The train is so full today, and everywhere else is a little noisy.”

Andromeda looked the boy up and down appraisingly. He was not slim, although he certainly wasn’t overly large. Just sort of...cuddly. He had an infectious smile, a mop of lovely fair hair, and a kind pair of sparkling emerald eyes. A smattering of freckles across his nose, a pair of mischievous dimples, and a personality brimming with enthusiasm made Edward Tonks look eternally youthful. 

She nodded. “Yes,” she said reluctantly, unable to think of a reason why this annoyingly happy young man couldn’t sit with her. She swiped the last remaining tears from her face.

“Have you been crying?” he asked her with an unexpected amount of caring softness in his voice.

She shook her head. “No,” the lie slipped off her tongue, “I just...it was an eyelash,” she offered weakly. 

He didn’t look convinced, but to her relief, he let the matter drop. He offered her a small smile and took out a book from his bag. Curiously, she leaned over, as inconspicuous as possible.  _ The Hobbit.  _ He caught her looking and she raised her eyebrows questioningly.

“The Hobbit,” he offered in explanation. “It’s a Muggle story about magical creatures in a distant, fictional world...kind of like the wizarding world but more...medieval. And with Orcs,” he laughed. 

Andromeda laughed with a little confusion; but Ted noticed her eyes light up with a momentary happiness that had been missing before. 

“I can...I can read it to you if you like?” he asked tentatively. 

Andromeda looked through the glass into the train corridor, making sure that no one could see her having a genuine conversation with a Hufflepuff. Ted noticed this as well, but though it hurt a little, he understood. Andromeda’s shoulders relaxed, and she let a smile pass across her pretty features. “Yes please. I’d like that,” she said softly, curling up into a ball on the seat and leaning her head against the window, an attentive audience to this new story.

Ted took a deep breath and began. “ In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell…” 

Andromeda listened attentively as Ted’s clear, expressive voice transported her to another land of magic and mystery. And for one glorious hour, she forgot. She forgot all about her uptight parents, pure bloodlines, unwelcome marriage proposals and the small matter of her betrothal. Instead, she found her imagination running wild in a place called Middle Earth. 

“This Middle Earth. It sounds rather wonderful,” she said through a yawn. “I think I’d like to run away and live in a hobbit hole.” She stared wistfully out the window, dreading every second that brought the train closer to Hogwarts. Because as soon as they arrived at Hogwarts, she would have to go back to pretending that she was some sort of superior being. 

And that meant she couldn’t see Ted.

As the train pulled into the station, he looked at her sadly, as if reading her mind. “Well, Dromeda, it’s been lovely. I hope you liked the book. I guess I’ll...see you in class.” And with that, he turned and left the carriage. 

She stood and followed quickly after him. “ _ Wait! _ ” He stopped on the platform and turned to face her with questioning eyes. “We didn’t get to finish the book,” she said softly. “Maybe when we get to school...maybe we can finish it some time?”

Ted smiled a bright smile at her and nodded enthusiastically. “I would love to, Dromeda,” he grinned, the nickname slipping easily off his tongue. 

Andromeda wasn’t sure why or how, but this boy and his infuriating level of happiness made her day so much brighter. And minutes later when they reunited with their friends from their respective houses, they both felt a warm sense of kinship and mutual understanding. 

And that night as she fell asleep, Andromeda was not seeing the dreaded letter. She saw a boy with a book and a keen pair of green eyes. 

oOo

“You know,” said Ted, “we don’t  _ have  _ to keep meeting like this, Dromeda.”

They lay beside each other in the long grass by the shores of the Black Lake. Both of them were at peace, happy and carefree in the moments they could steal together. Andromeda lifted herself up on one elbow and smiled at her friend.

“Oh but we do,” she said sadly. “If anyone found out that we were friends, that we were spending so much time together...if they told my parents…” she trailed off, shook her head, and flopped back down to the grass. “It has to be secret, Teddy.”

He looked at her and grinned suddenly.

“What?” she asked perplexed.

“Oh nothing,” he replied. “I just like it when you call me Teddy.”

She slapped his arm playfully. Still lying in the grass, they turned to face each other grinning stupidly. Andromeda found herself mesmerised by his eyes. She had never known that so much emotion could be expressed just through one’s eyes. And in his she saw...longing. For...her? 

Her expression turned serious, and the smiles faded. Ted brought his hand gently to her face and stroked his thumb across her cheek. Her eyes closed and her heart fluttered at his touch. Dear, sweet Teddy. She caught the hand and gently kissed it’s palm before interlocking her own fingers through it.

“Teddy, I...I need to tell you something.”

Ted traced her collarbone gently with his index finger, giving her butterflies in her stomach. “Yes, Dromeda?”

She pulled away from him abruptly and stood up, moving away to stand staring out at the lake. It was too painful to look at the boy she was fast falling in love with. 

“Teddy, I’m betrothed. I’m getting married at the end of the school year to the Duke of Albania. He’s a pureblood wizard my parents picked out for me. Teddy I’m so sorry. Please don’t hate me,” she implored, tears falling down her face.

Ted spun her around so she was facing him. He gripped her shoulders. “Dromeda, look at me. Listen to me. Do you  _ want  _ to marry him?”

“No, of course I don’t. I’ve only ever met him once. He’s fifteen years older than me and he lives in a dreary, cold castle in a dreary, cold country. He’s uptight and rich and a blood purist an  _ extremely  _ dull. I don’t want to marry him  _ at all.  _ I want to marry someone I  _ love _ , Teddy.”

Teddy smiled at her sweetly after this little tirade.

“Then don’t,” he said matter-of-factly. “Marry me instead.”

Andromeda’s jaw hit the floor and she stared up at Ted, her mind a mixture of confusion, joy, fear, love and apprehension. “Teddy? Did you just say what I thought you said?”

Ted laughed. “Well, Dromeda, that all depends on what you thought I said,” he replied mischievously.

“I  _ thought  _ you just asked me to marry you,” she whispered.

Teddy nodded and held her face gently. “Yes,” he said. “Marry me.”

He kissed her eyelids.

“Marry me.”

He kissed her cheeks.

“ _ Marry me. _ ”

He kissed her mouth softly and tenderly. His tongue teased her lips, and it didn’t take long for her to let him in and return his kiss with fire and passion. She didn’t want it to end. She wanted him to hold her and never let her go.

They finally broke away. Andromeda pressed her forehead to Ted’s. “My parents will disown me. They’ll never speak to me again, Teddy.”

“I understand,” Ted replied sadly.

“Yes.”

Ted was confused. “Yes? Yes what?”

Andromeda began to laugh. “Yes I’ll marry you Teddy. Yes! I don’t care that my parents might never want to see me again. I don’t ever want to lose the one person who has given me an ounce of happiness. If I have to choose between them and you, I choose you every time, Teddy. I will  _ always  _ choose you.”

Ted swept her up in a warm embrace and kissed her again and again. “You are all mine, Dromeda. All mine. I love you.”

“Oh Teddy, darling, I love you too! Ever so much. But obviously we will have to wait until after we finish school. We’re both only seventeen. I will write to my parents though, and tell them to break my engagement. I’ll tell them I got a better offer, one I just couldn’t refuse.”

Ted smiled at her and kissed her cheek sweetly. “We should get back, love. People will start to notice we’re gone.”

Hand in hand, they walked back to the castle, happy in the knowledge that there were only a few months to go until the end of the school year. Then they could be together, unhindered by conventions, superstitions and traditions. They could be completely, wholly together. 

oOo

_ Dear Mother, _

_ I am writing to tell you that I cannot marry the Duke. Please be so kind as to inform him of my flattery at his choosing me, but my regret that I am unable to fulfil my obligation. I have found a love worth far more to me than all of his riches. _

_ I am going to marry a wonderful man. His name is Ted, and he loves me. I do not expect your approval, nor do I seek it.  _

_ I hope that one day you might see that love, real love, is more important than purity of blood. _

_ I remain your affectionate daughter, _

_ Andromeda _

oOo

_ Andromeda, _

_ Cygnus and I are most displeased. We have informed the Duke of your decision. To say he was angry is an understatement. You have brought shame on our family. _

_ We have no choice but to remove our family patronage from you, since you neither desire nor deserve it. _

_ Do not call me mother. You are no child of mine. _

_ Druella Black _

Those words stung Andromeda more than she cared to admit. No matter what her parents thought of her match with Ted, they were still her parents, and to have them disown her in a formal letter caused her quite a degree of pain.

But she put those thoughts far from her. Folding the letter, she threw it onto the fire and watched it shrivel and burn. She had just one thing left to do.

Andromeda Black ran through the castle and down to where she knew she would find Ted by the Greenhouses. She saw him and flung herself into his arms. “Teddy,” she whispered, holding him tightly.

Teddy disentangled himself from her grip and smiled easily. “Dromeda. What’s going on?”

“They disowned me, Teddy, they cut me off and said I brought shame to our family,” she whispered.

“Oh, Dromeda, I’m sorry--”

“I don’t care, Teddy,” she said triumphantly, “ _ I don’t care. _ I don’t need them or their money. I never did. I just need you. I am happiest when I am with you. You make me laugh. You make me dance with you even though you know I am terrible at it; and what’s more, I  _ enjoy  _ it. I am so hopelessly, ridiculously, stupidly in love with you, Edward Tonks,” she said, with happy tears welling in her eyes.

Teddy held her close to his chest and pressed his lips to the top of her head. “I am quite hopelessly, ridiculously, stupidly in love with you too, Andromeda Black.”


End file.
